Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

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Juicy and fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs with brown sugar garlic sauce, pressure cooked in an Instant Pot for 8 mins. Instant Pot chicken dinner is so easy!

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (1)

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (2)

Table of Contents

Instant Pot Chicken Thighs

How to cook chicken thighs in an Instant Pot? This brown sugar garlic chicken is the perfect recipe to make chicken thighs in an Instant Pot.

The pressure cooking of Instant Pot ensures that the chicken thighs are perfectly cooked, stay juicy, moist and tender.

The combinations of garlic and brown sugar work like magic with chicken, making it one of the easiest instant pot chicken recipes you can make for the entire family.

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (3)

Other Recipes You Might Like

  • Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
  • Instant Pot Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken
  • Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

How Long Does It Take to Cook Instant Pot Chicken?

It takes about 5 -10 minutes to cook chicken in an Instant Pot, depending on the chicken parts used in the recipe.

Below are the general guidelines on the time for cooking chicken in an Instant Pot, based on my past experiences:

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (4)
  • Wingettes and drumettes – 5 minutes
  • Whole chicken wings – 6 minutes
  • Chicken drumsticks and chicken thighs – 8 minutes
  • Chicken breasts – 10 minutes

Can you cook frozen chicken in an Instant Pot? Yes, you can cook frozen chicken thighs, chicken breasts, wings and legs in an Instant Pot.

Just add 2 minutes to the time above if you use frozen chicken from the refrigerator.

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (5)

How Do You Pressure Cook Chicken in an Instant Pot?

You need at least 1/2 cup of liquid in an Instant Pot to pressure cook chicken. You may also use up to 1 cup of liquid but 1/2 cup is enough to cook chicken.

1 cup is too much liquid as the process of pressure cooking doesn’t vaporize the liquid, instead, it forces the moisture of the chicken out of the meat, creating more liquid in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (6)
Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (7)

How Many Calories per Serving?

This recipe is only 477 calories per serving.

What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

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Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Juicy and fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs with brown sugar garlic sauce, pressure cooked in an Instant Pot for 8 mins. Instant Pot chicken dinner is so easy!

4.52 from 201 votes

Print

By Bee Yinn Low

Yield 4 people

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 10 minutes mins

Total 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. (750g-900g) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
  • salt
  • ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3 dashes cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Season the chicken thighs with salt and ground black pepper on both sides of the chicken. Turn on the Saute mode on your Instant Pot. As soon as the pot is fully heated and hot, add the olive oil. Pan sear the chicken thighs (skin side down first) until both sides turn nicely brown.

    Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (12)

  • You can also pan-sear the chicken in a skillet and then transfer them over to the Instant Pot. Add the minced garlic and saute until light brown.Add the chicken broth, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper and salt.

    Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (13)

  • Cover the pot and select Manual and set to High pressure for 8 minutes. When it beeps, turn to Quick Release. When the valve drops, remove the lid carefully and turn to Saute mode to reduce the sauce if it's too watery.

  • Add the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Watch the cooking video on this page for step-by-step guide.

I used a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can make this recipe in a slow cooker, or on your stove top. If you use a slow cooker, Use high heat and cook for 3 hours. For stove top, just pan-fry the chicken and then add in all the ingredients of the sauce. Simmer on low heat and cook until the chicken meat is tender.

I used organic chicken thighs, so they are very small. If you use regular chicken thighs, you can increase the pressure cooking time to 10 minutes for tender meat.

Course: Instant Pot Recipes

Cuisine: Asian

Keywords: Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken

Amount Per Serving (4 people)

Calories 477Calories from Fat 315

% Daily Value*

Fat 35g54%

Saturated Fat 8g50%

Cholesterol 166mg55%

Sodium 387mg17%

Carbohydrates 10g3%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 28g56%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

Instant Pot Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken (10 Mins Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

Why does chicken get rubbery in Instant Pot? ›

Rubbery Instant Pot shredded chicken is usually the result of overcooking the meat. If you used thinner pieces of chicken or did not adjust the cook time to the correct weight, it can result in dry and chewy chicken. You can salvage your chicken by serving it with a sauce to add moisture and flavor.

Does chicken get more tender the longer you cook it in an Instant Pot? ›

Can you overcook chicken breast in an Instant Pot? Yes, you can! Pressure Cookers don't work the same as slow cookers, where longer cooking times equal more juicy and tender meat. Too much time in a pressure cooker will create dry tough meat.

How do you keep chicken from getting tough in Instant Pot? ›

The key to getting perfectly juicy boneless chicken breasts is to cook them on a trivet, above the liquid. I find that this results in a better texture than cooking them on the bottom of the pot. I also think their texture is best when you quickly release the pressure, rather than letting it naturally release.

Can you overcook chicken in a Instapot? ›

While all cuts of chicken are fair game for the Instant Pot, thighs are the most forgiving. Because chicken breast is so lean, just a couple of extra minutes of cook time turns them from juicy to overcooked and dry.

Does pressure cooked chicken make it tender? ›

By placing cooking liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker and placing the chicken in the steamer basket above the liquid, you are guaranteed tender, moist chicken every time.

Why is my chicken tough after pressure cooking? ›

Maybe the pressure build-up inside wasn't enough for the chicken. Maybe you didn't really cook it long enough. Maybe you released the pressure too soon, without allowing it to cook completely. Maybe there's something wrong with your pressure cooker.

What is the best meat to pressure cook? ›

You can still pressure cook leaner pieces – like eye of round and top sirloin – but these work best if they've been stuffed, shredded or rolled (with other ingredients). Best cuts of beef to use: Chuck steak, Round Roast, Shoulder, Pot roast, Ribs, Brisket, Oxtail.

What happens if you cook chicken too long? ›

The result? An unpleasantly dry, chalky texture. Where chicken thighs may give you a little bit more leeway when it comes to cooking them longer than necessary (because they're a fattier cut), breasts don't give you that same liberty.

How do you know when pressure cooked chicken is done? ›

Open the pot, then use a digital thermometer to check the thickest part of a piece of chicken—it should be at least 165oF.

Does a pressure cooker dry out chicken? ›

Oh also, when you make this, don't skip the part where I tell you to add some water or chicken broth to the Instant Pot (or crockpot). You'll want to do this so that the meat doesn't dry out. I also add the broth to the containers with cooked chicken to help keep it moist.

How long should I pressure can raw chicken? ›

Once you're getting 4 “jiggles” per minute, or your dial gauge has come up to pressure, start your timer and process the chicken. If you're canning pint jars, you will process them for 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes). If you're using quart jars, you will process for 1 hour 30 minutes (90 minutes).

Why is my chicken rubbery after cooking? ›

Overcooking might play a role in your chicken's tire-like texture. Leaving chicken in a pan, oven, or grill for just a little too long can suck the moisture right out and leave you with a dry, rubbery bird. Without moisture, the protein fibers in the chicken become elastic.

Why is my cooked meat rubbery? ›

Yup, cooking most meat too long is a bad thing. Cooking lamb too long like that will result in rubber. Its also possible that you accidentally cut with the grain instead of against it - which would result in a very chewy, rubber like texture. You end up with long proteins that are harder to chew.

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